Brrr, it's cold outside! Winter has arrived in all its glory. The snow is here and we're all freezing. The last thing we want to do is get into our gardens so luckily there are not many gardening jobs we can do in this weather. One thing you can't forget is the wildlife. Keep topping up the feeders and checking the ice in the water bowls is cracked. Peanuts are getting expensive and could become more of a treat than a regular occurrence in gardens this year. We have a recommended for wildlife hedging pack which consists of a mixture of Hawthorn, Hazel, Elder, Wild Pear and Cherry Plum. These hedging packs are sold in quantities of 45 or 90 but don't forget you can also buy the plants and trees individually for your own garden needs.

Remember: The cost of a few plants is less than a large bag of peanuts and these trees will grow to create natural habitats for the wildlife in your garden. Providing food, shelter and nesting sites.

"A 217-ACRE area of woodland belonging to Richard Benyon, the environment and wildlife minister, is to be destroyed in order to extract 2m tons of sand and gravel to build new homes and roads.The woodland, on Benyon’s 20,000-acre Englefield estate on the west Berkshire-Hampshire borders, had been designated as a site of importance for nature conservation because of its wide range of habitats, including pockets of ancient forest, heaths and dry acid grassland as well as commercial conifer plantations."

Mountain of Macaroons: Is this the world's yummiest Christmas tree?(source: MyDaily)

"A tea room in Paris has gone all out this year and put up a mouth-watering shrub made of macaroons! The edible tower, crafted by the infamous Laduree sweet makers, looks a festive delight, we just wish they'de made it in green..."

"Northumbrian forester Dave Allen’s name is up in lights at one of London’s most popular visitor attractions.The Christmas tree that Dave helped find in Kielder Forest for the capital’s Somerset House has now been named after him.Dave The Tree now stands proudly overlooking the skating rink at the famous arts and cultural centre off The Strand."

"A new strategy to tackle Ash dieback has been published today by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson alongside the Tree and Plant Health Task Force’s interim report.The plan highlights the need to: reducing the rate of spread, developing resistance to the disease in the native UK ash tree population, encouraging citizen, landowner and industry engagement and action in tackling the problem; and building resilience in the UK woodland and associated industries."

"The government's Big Tree Plant campaign is encouraging people to plant more trees in England's towns, cities and neighbourhoods. And Kent's councils have secure funding from the campaign to plant more than 25,000 trees in the county over the next three years."

"Hundreds of children in the Isle of Man have begun a project which will see them plant their own tree.The government project will see 500 children nurture saplings before planting them in one of the island's plantations in March.Education Minister Tim Crookall said; "The Tree for Life campaign will encourage children to learn about their environment in a hands-on and fun way.Pupils from a dozen of the island's school's will take part.The children will each tend to their own sapling this winter before planting them in Conrhenny plantation in March.Five types of native broadleaved trees, including ash, have been distributed to the schools by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture."

Looking for inspiring original Christmas Gifts? Something to give to the man or lady who has everything? A garden lovers delight? Eco-friendly Christmas presents? Well, look no further, our Tree Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. They are a long lasting thoughtful present for Christmas. Also don't miss our Truffle Tree Gifts for the chefs amongst you!

White House splurges on holiday decorations by adding nearly 50 per cent more Christmas trees than last year (source: Daily Mail)

"The White House may have gone a little extreme with their holiday decorations this year, decking their halls with a staggering 54 live Christmas trees - enough to put one in nearly every other room in the entire building.This year's total is nearly 50 per cent more than last year's 37, which included seven artificial ones. In truth, the number of trees varies from year-to-year. In 1997 there were 36 trees, while in 2008, there were a scant 27."

Ooh what do they say about the red berries? The earlier and plentiful they appear, the harsher the winter....Take stock, winter is coming! We are seeing lots of red berries from the holly (ilex aquifolium) and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) here. Our seasonal interest page is turning rosy!

On another note, We're getting lots of questions about the Ash dieback. See our earlier blog post about it and view the pictorial symptoms checker.

We've got a gorgeous new range of outdoor garden planters. Finished in smart colours, these wooden planters will be a great addition to your garden, patio or terrace. We think the square planters look good with a topiary box plant on either side of your front door or entrance way. Our herb planter has removable sections so you can group your varieties of herbs together and when the sections are removed, the planter can be used as a cover for a growbag, perfect for tomato plants. We think they're good original Christmas presents for the gardener!

Chalara dieback of ash is a serious disease of ash trees caused by a fungus called Chalara fraxinea (C. fraxinea). The disease causes leaf loss and crown dieback in affected trees, and it can lead to tree death.

The Forest Research agency, Forestry Commission, has produced a practical pictorial guide to recognising the main symptoms. Suspected cases should be reported to: Forest Research Tree Health Diagnostic and Advisory Service, T: 01420 23000

Our trees are cell grown in Rootrainers so they can be planted at any time of the year.

Trees by Post specialise in young cell grown tree saplings of about 1-2 years old. This is the perfect stage for planting outside allowing for the quickest growth rates.

Benefits of Cell Grown Plants over Bare-Root Plants:

• Cell grown plants can be safely despatched from the nursery and planted all year round without damage to the roots.

• Bare-root can only be dug up, despatched and planted within the Winter/dormant season.

• Cell-grown plants can be held for several weeks if planting is delayed provided the root plugs are kept moist.

• Bare-root plants must be planted immediately upon arrival.

• Cell-grown plants arrive at the customer with a fully functional root system.

• Bare-root plants inevitably suffer damage and consequent stress when they are lifted from the nursery beds.

• The root systems on Cell-grown plants remain intact and the fine fibrous feeding roots are sent out with the plant enabling rapid establishment once planted out. There is relatively little check when a Cell-grown is planted out compared to a bare-root plant.